Review of Frankenweenie

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Despite some rather shoddy characterizations and a disconnected meandering plot Frankenweenie is one of Tim Burton's better recent efforts. The films is an expansion of an older live action short shot by Burton during his early years with Disney and, to be honest, it shows. The core idea of reanimating a dog is nicely plotted but the other story events seem almost random with numerous less than memorable characters doing strange and bizarre things for little to no reason. There is no real cohesion to the events here.

That being said Frankenweenie deserves to be seen because the animation in it is spectacular. The choice of black and white fits the character design and the "Burtonesque" mood and the titular Frankenweenie is a tour de force of animation. The design and animations of his stop motion puppet imbue the character with a life and personality not often seen in animated films (not often seen here either as most of the human characters lack that same spark). Combine this with some truly breathtaking set pieces at the end of the film and you have a visual masterpiece that elevates the art of the genre. Go into it like you would a imagery laden foreign film - be numbed by the nonsensical nature of the script but blown away by the visuals and you should be happy.